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Iron Out A Concentration Problem For Teenage Girls

It could be typical teenage distraction, which can take a few years to outgrow, or the cure could be as simple as adding an iron supplement.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center studied 81 high school girls who had below-normal iron levels in their blood but were not anemic.

Half were given a standard treatment for anemia: eight weeks of 260 milligrams of iron per day (17 times the amount in the average multivitamin). The other half received no iron supplementation.

To the surprise of pediatrician Ann Bruner, the additional iron appeared to significantly boost the first group's mental abilities, helping them score considerably higher on verbal and memory tests.

One in four teenage girls is likely to have below-normal levels of iron, but the deficiency is not limited to teenagers.

"Any woman of childbearing age who is vegetarian, exercises more than three times a week or has heavy periods may need additional iron," Bruner says.

Too much iron can be harmful to those who don't need it, however; iron needs vary with age and gender. If a blood test indicates low iron, and iron-rich foods and standard supplements don't help, consult a doctor.